title: Cardiovascular disease risk factors among women veterans at VA medical facilities.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Hypertension, hyperlipidemia, diabetes, and obesity in middle adulthood each elevate the long-term risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD). The prevalence of these conditions among women veterans is incompletely described.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To describe the prevalence of CVD risk factors among women veterans in middle adulthood.
  
  
  METHODS
  Serial cross-sectional studies of data from the Diabetes Epidemiologic Cohorts (DEpiC), a national, longitudinal data set including information on all patients in the Veterans Health Administration (VA).
  
  
  METHODS
  Women veterans (n = 255,891) and men veterans (n = 2,271,605) aged 35-64 receiving VA care in fiscal year (FY) 2010.
  
  
  METHODS
  Prevalence of CVD risk factors in FY2010 by age and, for those aged 45-54 years, by race, region, period of military service, priority status, and mental illness or substance abuse; prevalence by year from 2000 to 2010 in women veterans receiving VA care in both 2000 and 2010 who were free of the factor in 2000.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Hypertension, hyperlipidemia, and diabetes were common among women and men, although more so among men. Hypertension was present in 13 % of women aged 35-44 years, 28 % of women aged 45-54, and 42 % of women aged 55-64. Hyperlipidemia prevalence was similar. Diabetes affected 4 % of women aged 35-44, and increased more than four-fold in prevalence to 18 % by age 55-64. The prevalence of obesity increased from 14 % to 18 % with age among women and was similarly prevalent in men. The relative rate of having two or more CVD risk factors in women compared to men increased progressively with age, from 0.55 (35-44 years) to 0.71 (45-54) to 0.73 (55-64). Most of the women with a factor present in 2010 were first diagnosed with the condition in the 10 years between 2000 and 2010.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  CVD risk factors are common among women veterans aged 35-64. Future research should investigate which interventions would most effectively reduce risk in this population.
authors.affiliation: Center for Health Quality, Outcomes and Economic Research (CHQOER), Edith Nourse Rogers Memorial VA Medical Center, 200 Springs Road, Bedford, MA 01730, USA. varsha.vimalananda@va.gov
authors.forename: Varsha G
authors.initials: VG
authors.lastname: Vimalananda
authors.forename: Donald R
authors.initials: DR
authors.lastname: Miller
authors.forename: Cindy L
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Christiansen
authors.forename: Wenyu
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Patricia
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Tremblay
authors.forename: B Graeme
authors.initials: BG
authors.lastname: Fincke
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology*; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006787:Hospitals, Veterans / Q000639:trends*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012307:Risk Factors; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology; D014728:Veterans; D058014:Veterans Health / Q000639:trends*